Breaking news: Ariana Grande has finally released her album Thank U, Next and also the music video for her most intriguing song: "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored." And WOW, there's a lot to unpack. Just watch the video above, then come back, because I have some thoughts.
It is HIGHLY sexy—think single white female but with a happy ending. The video stars Riverdale's adorable Charles Melton and model Ariel Yasmine, who basically looks just like Ariana with a long brown ponytail. In it, spoiler alert, Ariana goes from eyeballing the boy to copying his girlfriend's look (soooo, her own look, then?). Then, she goes in for the kill, stealing a smooch from—the girl! The video cuts to black just before it happens. Fans are, unsurprisingly, losing their minds over the whole thing: the sexiness, the parallels, the surprise twist ending. But underneath all the hot hot hotness, I actually think there's a sweet message there.
The video is kind of a profession of love for herself, since she's basically turning into herself throughout the video—that iconic, long ponytail that's her signature look. Ariana starts out the video as a blonde, staring longingly at the relationship and look she's always wanted. There's even a shot of Ariel and Ariana looking at each other, post-transformation, as if Ariana's taking a look at herself in a new way.
And Ariana has been talking a lot recently about a renewed focus on herself and her own self-care. When she received the Billboard Woman of the Year award, Ariana said, "I look forward to hopefully learning to give some of the love and forgiveness that I've given away so frivolously and easily to men in the past to myself this year."
Ariana's reaction to the release and her fans' response (finally, after all those musical hints and Easter eggs) was emotional and sweet:
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